Chapter 45
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45.
"That's right, we'll need to fill positions now that the Winter Palace has a new advisor."
The Emperor's gaze carried that weary insistence—do it.
'That look that says he'll pile more work on us.'
The man had no conscience whatsoever. Even if all ten administrative positions were filled, I couldn't guarantee leaving on time.
"The Summer Palace is also taking on a new advisor?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. However, the Summer Palace already has a substantial administrative staff, so the numbers won't be excessive. We're already running three administrative officials per advisor."
The First Empress laughed gracefully and took a light sip of lemon water.
"The Summer Palace advisors are all quite diligent, I hear. Apparently, it's because of First Prince Charlie's directive that budgets mustn't be wasted."
She certainly had a sharp eye for identifying who was responsible once the accounting period ended.
It was a pointed remark directed squarely at us.
You're already using the maximum number of administrative officials allowed per advisor.
She was being rather harsh, overlooking the fact that I'd only had one advisor.
Of course, the Emperor, who always benefited from the Winter Palace's efficiency, simply laughed it off.
"First Prince Charlie has good fortune with people."
Only First Prince Charlie himself, suddenly thrust into the spotlight, wore a sour expression and muttered, "Yes, well..."
But the First Empress was far from finished.
"Your Majesty, if you concern yourself only with the Summer Palace and Winter Palace, the gossips will accuse you of favoritism."
"Hmm?"
The Emperor gestured for the First Empress to continue.
She rose slowly from her seat, offered a slight bow before him, and spoke.
"The Fourth Prince is twelve years old and will soon celebrate his thirteenth birthday."
"Indeed."
"Considering that First Prince Charlie and Cassian Artez appointed their first advisors when they turned ten, my concern is perhaps overdue."
With that, the First Empress turned her gaze toward the Second Concubine, seated near the far end, and offered her a smile.
"Don't be upset—this wasn't intentional, Second Concubine."
"I harbor no such feelings, Your Majesty the First Empress."
The Second Concubine, busy attending to her younger children, barely managed to compose her pallid face as she replied.
"An advisor for the Fourth Prince, then..."
The Emperor stroked his chin thoughtfully, and the First Empress glided gracefully to his side, her hand dancing across his shoulder.
"Haven't you always worried that the Imperial Palace's workload grows while First Prince Charlie and Cassian Artez bear too much of the burden?"
In essence, the First Empress was using this opportunity to diminish Cassian Artez's power.
Well, if the work truly increased, we wouldn't entirely object...
'Would that cunning Emperor actually agree to this?'
The Emperor quietly placed his thick hand atop the First Empress's hand resting on his shoulder, patting it gently with a satisfied expression.
"No one understands my thoughts as well as you do, my First Empress."
"Others would have known as well—I was simply bold enough to speak it aloud."
The Emperor chuckled softly at her measured tone.
"Good. Then, though it may be early, I think it wise to assign an advisor to the Third Princess as well. The child is ten years old this year, after all."
"A wise decision, Your Majesty."
"With so many people entering the Imperial Palace, proper education will be necessary to prevent chaos."
The Emperor turned his gaze toward me and Cassian Artez with a meaningful expression.
"The competence of the Winter Palace's administrative officials—that is all thanks to you, First Advisor Roselita Salice."
"You are too kind."
"Too kind? Excessive modesty becomes discourtesy."
The Emperor opened his mouth as though he had made up his mind.
"So the education shall be conducted at the Winter Palace,"
The Emperor paused mid-sentence.
While the First Empress looked puzzled, the Emperor slowly turned his gaze toward First Prince Charlie.
"No, actually—since the Summer Palace has recently undergone education reforms, I think it best if Charlie takes the lead in preparing for this."
The Emperor's eyebrows rose with evident pleasure.
At the same moment, the First Empress's eyebrows shot up just as quickly.
"-Are you displeased, First Empress?"
The hand resting on the Emperor's shoulder seemed to have lost its careful control.
She hastily withdrew her hand from his shoulder, folded it quietly before her, and shifted her expression with practiced grace.
"How could that be, Your Majesty? I merely thought there might be another more suitable candidate...."
"Did I choose poorly?"
The Emperor cast his gaze toward the First Empress, his tone still tinged with amusement.
She hesitated for a moment, then quickly urged First Prince Charlie forward.
"What are you waiting for, First Prince Charlie? The Emperor has just expressed his trust in you."
Her skill at repackaging words was truly unmatched within the Imperial Palace.
"I shall obey your command, Father."
"Good. And Cassian Artez."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hearing the Fourth Prince's age brought back memories of your childhood."
The Emperor smiled warmly.
At the same moment, both Cassian Artez's and my hands stilled.
"So the Fourth Prince is indeed at just the right age. Or is he a year older than you were then, making it late?"
Eleven years old. That was the age.
When Cassian Artez was first sent to the battlefield.
*
"...You've truly lost your mind."
After finishing breakfast and returning to my office, I loosened my tie roughly and shook my head.
"Did you forget that I barely survived that first time, clinging to life by a thread?"
I understood all too well what he was saying.
After all, I was the one who saved Cassian Artez when he nearly died on that first battlefield.
It was all because of the Emperor's contemptuous indifference toward Cassian Artez and the First Empress's greed.
Though the Emperor had publicly declared that the Temple was his legitimate child, he regarded Cassian Artez as evidence of infidelity.
A son born bearing the stigma of divine displeasure—the Emperor grew irritated that his imperial authority now fell under the Temple's interference, and he often spouted nonsense about how Cassian Artez might not even be his legitimate son.
The First Empress exploited the Emperor's emotions with remarkable skill.
'If you eliminate the demons, wouldn't that resolve the divine displeasure? After all, you would be punishing those who sinned against the gods with your own hands.'
The Emperor readily pushed his eleven-year-old son into the jaws of death.
Whether he died fighting the demons or returned alive, either outcome suited the Emperor's purposes.
'The Emperor would be satisfied to resolve his apparent debt to the Temple.'
What a horrifying human being.
What the First Empress overlooked was that Cassian Artez was a genius who had taught himself swordsmanship without anyone's proper care and honed his skills through sheer determination.
By secretly watching the knights train and mimicking their movements, he became so proficient that at ten years old, he won the Imperial Palace martial tournament in which novice knights participated.
'Though that very talent did result in him being sent to the battlefield...'
Yet his current position and survival were also the fruits of slaughtering demons.
"The Fourth Prince is famous for being a scholar, is he not?"
"Exactly. And yet His Majesty orders him to the battlefield."
"His Majesty is telling you to leave the Capital City."
At my words, Cassian Artez exhaled deeply.
That was the only way the Fourth Prince could escape this situation.
The Emperor knew that Cassian Artez was subtly lenient toward his brothers, and he was exploiting that weakness cunningly.
I'd already preempted him by providing educational manuals to prevent his workload from increasing, yet he comes at me like this...?
"His Majesty intends to check the First Empress while also preventing you from gaining too much power."
"Right. Eliminating the demons will take several months. Besides, I haven't left the Capital for four or five years, so it's overdue for a cleanup anyway."
"The Imperial Knight Order does follow you rather excessively, Your Highness."
Cassian Artez merely shrugged as if there was nothing to be done about it.
It also implied that the Emperor had so many children that losing one or two princes wouldn't trouble him.
'If the Fourth Prince truly goes to the battlefield, there's a high chance of casualties in the Imperial Knight Order under his inadequate command, and that could breed resentment toward Cassian Artez.'
Especially since Cassian Artez isn't in a position where he can't leave at all.
Meanwhile, if Cassian Artez leaves the Capital City, his influence would diminish as well, so the Emperor would suffer no loss from this either.
"And if I go to the battlefield, His Majesty will probably prevent me from taking Roselita Salice with me."
"Since there's a new aide now, you don't necessarily need me, do you?"
"That's right."
Cassian Artez let out a hollow laugh, then approached me and cupped my cheek.
"His Majesty seems to want to test something."
"How could I possibly stand against the First Empress without Your Majesty's support?"
He nodded.
In other words, there was something about my confrontation with the First Empress that had displeased the Emperor.
Fiancée or not, I was still just "a mere baron's daughter" in their eyes.
To be honest, I wasn't entirely unafraid.
"If that's truly what you believe, wouldn't that be a misunderstanding?"
"You're right."
"You often say that only I can handle you, Your Majesty."
At my words, Cassian Artez whispered more nonsense—"That's true, so don't abandon me."
I laughed lightly, brushing off his words.
"And only you could possibly handle me, Your Majesty."
Did he know how much allowance he gave me?
I would never work without that compensation.
The moment Cassian Artez departed for the battlefield, I would become a true employee—clocking out precisely on time—and it was precisely this space between that resolve and my habitual scheming to navigate the present situation that defined our relationship.
Knock, knock.
As Cassian Artez and I exchanged words, a cautious knock sounded from below the office door.
Seized by an odd premonition, I carefully opened the door to find—
"Hello, Neuna."
A adorable young prince with pale honey-colored hair missing one lower tooth greeted me with a respectful bow.
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